Interesting story mazex. I had a similar thing happen to me on a glider flight. The instructor had me convinced that we were going to release at 2000ft, but right after we passed 200ft he pulled the release on me. He didn't say a word, just sat back and rode along. I put the nose down a little to maintain speed as the tow plane peeled away and I made a right-hand turn into the wind, which was by his earlier instruction, and I did a 180 back to the field for a 'down wind' landing. It was more of a cross-wind down- wind landing. After we came to a stop, he got out and said "Its all yours, take it up" and I was off on my first solo. Just had to get it golfcart-towed to the tow-plane again. What a day.
But I always thought that the left pattern was most common from the traditional stick and rudder planes of the old days and becasue most people are right handed and its just more natural to turn left with your right had on the stick and the other controls are normally on the left side anyway with that setup. But I am right handed and I don't mind right-patterns or right-turns, it doesnt seem to bther me that much.
Intersting thread.

Doesn't Aussie have the largest airfield in the world? Otherwise known as the Outback? :-P

I consider the effects of the Coriolis effect in Call of Duty very often.

200ft? What a bastage ;) My instructor did it the same way as you describe before the incident I described but then we where at 300 meters when we where supposed to tow to 700m :) Saying "Oups, it seems I pulled the release handle?" ;) Gave me way more time to think than you...

I read somewhere that, especially with a stick, that there's a certain degree of 'human nature' involved as well. It was something to to with people subconsciously preferring to push in the direction that their palm / forearm is facing as opposed to pulling with their fingers when it's a reflex action.

It makes sense because if you pull right there's always the possibility of losing your grip. Left has the full weight of your arm behind it.

Can't remember where I read it. But it was definitely fighter pilot related.

If stick forces are high, then right handed pilots will obviously be able to roll into a left hand turn faster. Also, as was mentioned earlier, almost everything else is managed with the left hand so moving to a left hand grip or assist is not without risk. Since all military pilots from the era are right handed pilots (because there were no left handed cockpits) that's the way it was.

Engine torque and P-factor are also issues but center stick pilots would still tend to turn left even if they weren't.

Such a simple explanation that has nothing to do with the subconscious.

Also, precession occurs no matter what direction you turn. The only difference is the direction of the precession.

Rolling against the torque is just that, rolling against the torque, and it causes no precession. The roll against the torque is what was so difficult in the old rotary engined aircraft.

--Outlaw.

yes but modern joysticks theres no problem twisting them right, youre not gonna lose grip yet in modern air games people still turns left

imho is gyroscopic precession as a matter of fact i used to turn right with some rusians planes with reverse sense of propeller

edit:

the disasvantage of turning right with gyro precession the opposite way is that when you stall plane aims up while if you turn left and stall it aims down

the advanatge is evident losing speed vs gaining it in a stall

... actually when landing a 172 I have my left hand on the yoke and right hand on the throttle.

More to the point, many or even most GA aircraft have a yoke with a central throttle quadrant, nearly all twins do and most commercial aircraft do.

Hence, most non-military aircraft are flown with the left hand with the right hand on the throttle.

Unless they are in a single seat or tandem layout.
one of the reasons I like being an instructor and a First Officer is that I sit on the right.

There has been no change whatsoever in, "modern joysticks" for "modern air games", that would affect any decision to turn left vs right. I've been playing multiplayer WW2 combat sims for the last 23 years and the only significant change has been force feedback. I can't remember when I got my first TM F-16 stick but it was almost 20 years ago.

Limiting the discussion to games only, I've never played ROF and I tend to turn left simply because it's more comfortable to push than pull. If the stick was in my left hand I would turn right more.

If you're stalling you've lost already.

In a bounce situation the first item of business is to get out of the plane of flight as quickly as possible. Precession is the least of your worries. It's best to turn into the attacker if you can but if you waste time trying to figure out the direction before acting then it's usually too late.

I don't know who said it and I paraphrase but...

IMO, aside from bounce situations, players will turn in the direction that best suits them tactically (at least as far as they see the tactical situation).

--Outlaw.